Internal-combustion engine.



Patented. May 31,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED K. ,LANDGRAF, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 761,510, dated May 31, 1904.

I Application filed June 10, 1903. Serial No. 160,947. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, FRED K. LANDGRAF, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in lnternal Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and type. of internalcombustion engines, and

thereby decreasing the water-jacket loss.

A second object is the production of an-internal-combustion engine that may, by reason of its expansion-chamber, be run at a less number of revolutions per minute than is practicable with the ordinary type of internalcombustion engines.

A third object is the production of an engine whereby the initial impact of the explosion on the piston is not as great as in the ordinary type of internal-combustion engines.

With these objects in View my invention consists in the construction and combinations of parts ashereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure is a cross-section of part of a cylinder of an internal-combustion engine with my improvement applied thereto.

a representssthe engine-cylinder, provided with an outer casing b, which serves as a waterjacket. 0 represents a piston of the ordinary type provided with a packing d. 0 represents a piston-rod pivoted to said piston at f. g

1 represents the inlet-passage, and h the exto some extent by the spring j. 70 represents the valve in the exhaust-passagawhich is operated by the rod Z, all of the parts thus far described being of the usual construction.

On the end ofthe cylinder .1 is a cylinderhead m, forming an expansion-chamber n, which cylinder-head is closed at both ends except for centrally-arranged openings.

The head m is covered with asuiltable nonconducting material 0, or, ifdesired, a waterjacket may be used instead of said non-conducting material. -The head an is provided with a central passage 9, com municating'with the explosion-chamber (1 within the cylinder at.

The upper part of the head on is provided with a small cylinder 7', within which the piston .8, provided with packing t, is adapted to reciprocate. This piston s is provided with a rod a, passing through a. nut c, which is screwed into the head a; of the cylinder 1.

A spring y is coiled around the piston-rod u and normally holds the end of. said piston downso as to close the opening 2). ton acts as a valve between the cylinder at and the cylinder-head m. a 1 The operation is as follows: After the explosive charge has been drawn into the cylinder'a by the movement of the piston and compressed into the space (1 the explosion takes place, driving the piston 0 in one direction 7 and driving the piston 8 against the action of the spring y, thereby opening the passage q This pisand allowing the gases formed by the explosion-to escape into the expansion-chamber n.

This diminishes the sudden blow due to the explosion, which blow is often injurious if a full charge is used.

The expansion of the burned and hot gases takes place until the pressure in the cylinder a and expansion-chamber it has been reduced so that it can no longer overcome the pressure of the spring whereupon the pistons closes the-passage p, and the further movement of the piston is due only to the expansion of the gases in the cylinder a, the expansion-chamber 92 retaining within itself a certain proportion of the gases under pressure until the next explosion. The charge is drawn in and exhausted in the usual way. 7

Another advantage of having an expansionchamber is that it obviates the sudden fall in pressure which would occur if the charge were exploded in the space and no expansion-chamber were used. When the charge is exploded in a very small space, the initial pressure is very high; but this pressure falls very quickly, owing to the sudden change in the volume of the chamber within which the gases are confined, this change in volume being caused by the movement of the piston. By the use of the expansion-chamber n, however, the pressure is rendered more uniform, the initial pressure being less and the subsequent pressure being greater. On account of the fact that the initial pressure is less the corresponding temperature is less, and thereby the difference in temperature between the gases and the water-jacket is not as great as in the ordinary type of internal-combustion engines. It follows, of course, that a less amount of heat is transmitted to the waterjacket, and therefore the water-jacket loss is less than in the ordinary type of internalcombustion engines.

While I have thus described my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details shown and described, inasmuch as many changes might be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, the expansionchamber might be located on the side of the cylinder instead of on its end, and other changes will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder and piston thereof, of a closed chamber directly communicating with one end of said cylinder and acting as an expansion-chamber, and yielding means separating said cylinder and expansionchamber, whereby after an explosion of gas both the explosion-chamber of the cylinder and the expansion-chamber will be immediately filled by the products of the explosion, and whereby the gases both in the cylinder and in theexpansion-chamber will directly act upon the piston until the pressure of said gases becomes low enough to permit said yielding means to close the connection between said cylinder and said expansion -chamber, substantially as described.

2. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder and piston thereof, of a closed chamber communicating directly with the end of the cylinder where the explosion takes place and acting as an expansion-chamber, a second cylinder opening into said expansion-chamber, and yielding means located in said second cylinder for closing the connection between said expansionchamber and the main cylinder at a predetermined pressure, substantially as described.

8. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder and piston thereof, of a closed chamber directly communicating with the explosion end of said cylinder and acting as an expansion-chamber, a second cylinder opening into said chamber, a piston fitted in said second cylinder, and a spring for operating said piston in opposition to the energy generated by the explosion, whereby when an explosion takes place the expansion-chamber and the explosion portion of the cylinder are immediately filled with the products of the explosion, thereby creating a pressure upon the main piston due to the pressure of gases both in said main cylinder and said expansion-chamber. which continues until the pressure of the gases becomes low enough to permit the spring to close the connection between said main cylinder and said expansion-chamber,substantiallyasdescribed.

4. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder thereof, of a closed chamber communicating therewith and acting as an expansion-chamber, a second cylinder opening into said chamber, and a piston fitted in said second cylinder and projecting into said chamber, the end of 'said piston acting as a valve to close the communication between the cylinder and the expansion-chamber, substantially as described.

5. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder thereof, of a closed chamber, a second cylinder, a piston fitted in said second cylinder, acting as a valve to cut off the communication between the engine-cylinder and said chamber, and a spring pressing against said piston to cause it to normally close the communication between said engine-cylinder and said chamber, substantially as described.

6. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of a water-jacketed cylinder, a piston therein, inlet and outlet passages provided with valves, a closed chamber communicating with said water-jacketed cylinder, said chamber being provided with a suitable poor conductor of heat, a second cylinder opening into said chamber on a line with the communication between said waterjacketed cylinder and said chamber, a piston fitted in said second cylinder acting as a valve to close the communication between said water-jacketed cylinder and said chamber, and a spring acting on said piston to normally close said communication between the waterjacketed cylinder and said chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED K. LANDGRAF.

Witnesses:

J OSEPH M. FLA NERY, CnAs. W. SEIBOLD. 

